LONDON (AP) - Police thwarted an apparent terror attack Friday near the famed Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London, defusing a bomb made of a lethal mix of gasoline, propane gas, and nails after an ambulance crew spotted smoke coming from a silver Mercedes outside a nightclub.

The bomb in the city's theater district was powerful enough to have caused "significant injury or loss of life" - possibly killing hundreds, British anti-terror police chief Peter Clarke said.

Britain's new home secretary, Jacqui Smith called an emergency meeting of top officials, calling the attempted attack "international terrorism."
"We are currently facing the most serious and sustained threat to our security from international terrorism," she said afterward. "This reinforces the need for the public to remain vigilant to the threat we face at all times."

Police planned to examine footage from closed-circuit TV cameras in the area, Clarke said, hoping the surveillance network that covers much of central London will help them track down the driver of the rigged Mercedes.
Officers were called to The Haymarket, just south of Piccadilly Circus, after an ambulance crew - responding to a call just before 1:30 a.m. about an injury at a nearby nightclub - noticed smoke coming from a car parked in front of the club, Clarke said.

A bomb squad manually disabled the bomb.

Early photographs of the silver Mercedes showed a canister bearing the words "patio gas," indicating it was propane gas, next to the car. The back door was open with blankets spilling out. The car was removed from the scene midmorning.

The busy Haymarket thoroughfare linking Piccadilly Circus to the Pall Mall is packed with restaurants, bars, a cinema complex and West End theaters, and was buzzing at that hour.

It was ladies' night Thursday, nicknamed "Sugar 'N Spice," at the massive Tiger Tiger nightclub, a three-story venue that at full capacity can pack in 1,770 people and stays open until 3 a.m.

The Haymarket venue is Tiger Tiger's flagship club; owner Novus Leisure also has clubs in other cities across Britain.

Police said they did not have any suspects, and urged people who were out in the area to call Britain's anti-terror hot line with any information.
Authorities closed the Piccadilly Circus subway station for eight hours and cordoned off a 10-block area around the scene. Clarke said police would examine footage from the so-called "ring of steel" - a network of video cameras equipped with license plate recognition software.

The cameras were put in place following a series of IRA bombing attacks in London in the 1990s - and to enforce London's congestion charge, a toll levied on cars entering central London during certain times of the day.
The British security official said there were similarities between the device and vehicle bombs used by insurgents in Iraq.

The official also said the domestic spy agency MI5 would examine possible connections between Friday's bomb attempt and at least two similar foiled plots - to attack a London nightclub in 2004 and to pack limousines with gas canisters and shrapnel.

In the 2004 plot, accused members of an al-Qaida-linked terror cell were convicted of plotting to blow up the Ministry of Sound nightclub. A recording made by MI5 captured the plotters discussing an attack on the nightclub, one of London's biggest and most famous venues.
One man is heard saying the plan was to "Blow the whole thing up."

The discovery of the bomb resurrected fears that followed the July 7, 2005, suicide bombings that killed 52 people on three London subways and a bus and failed attacks on the transit system just two weeks later. Those attacks deepened divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain and provoked an angry debate over religious tolerance and ethnic assimilation.
Three of the suicide bombers were British-born men of Pakistani descent, and all four were Muslim. The fact that seemingly unremarkable British youths could become suicide bombers caused soul-searching across the country, and raised fears of a threat from homegrown terrorists.
Gordon Brown, who only Wednesday succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister, called it a stark reminder that Britain faces a serious and continuous threat of terrorist attacks. He urged people to be on alert.

"I will stress to the Cabinet that the vigilance must be maintained over the next few days," he said. The terror threat level has remained at "severe" - meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely - since last August.
One analyst said the bombers could be trying to send Britain's new leader a message.

"It's a way of testing Gordon Brown," said Bob Ayers, a security expert at the Chatham House think tank. "It's not too far-fetched to assume it was designed to expedite the decision on withdrawal (from Iraq)." On Friday morning, President Bush was briefed by National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley about the apparent terror attack. Bush is at his family's home in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he will meet Sunday and Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House had no immediate comment on the incident.
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Associated Press writer Raphael Sattar contributed to this report.

Whoever is responsible for this incident are providing more "justification" for the transformation of the UK into a police state or surveillance society. The powers-that-be cheerleading this national experiment must be rubbing their hands in glee. Without "terrorist" attacks, the "war on terror" becomes redundant.

Bomb atacks such as this are so easy to prepare, and it would really take an incompetent idiot to leave behind enough clues as to get caught. It really does make one wonder who the "terrorists" are, or who they are ultimately working for. "They hate our freedoms" bullshit doesn't carry any weight whatsoever.

In this case, I can almost guarantee that within 48 hours, Scotland Yard will have "discovered" (!) some Islamic connection, despite that fact that to pull of such an atrocity and leave no clues would be very simple, especially for anyone with (para)military skills.

Let's see.

"We've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming". VP Cheney, 3/29/2006. Interview by Tony Snow

Whoever is responsible for this incident are providing more "justification" for the transformation of the UK into a police state or surveillance society. The powers-that-be cheerleading this national experiment must be rubbing their hands in glee. Without "terrorist" attacks, the "war on terror" becomes redundant.

Bomb atacks such as this are so easy to prepare, and it would really take an incompetent idiot to leave behind enough clues as to get caught. It really does make one wonder who the "terrorists" are, or who they are ultimately working for. "They hate our freedoms" bullshit doesn't carry any weight whatsoever.

In this case, I can almost guarantee that within 48 hours, Scotland Yard will have "discovered" (!) some Islamic connection, despite that fact that to pull of such an atrocity and leave no clues would be very simple, especially for anyone with (para)military skills.

Let's see.

Also remember; it is the first day of the new Gordon Brown Premiership.

I read this as a message to Brown - after all no-one was hurt and no Intel led to this 'plot' being uncovered, it was a 'lucky break' - just a gentle reminder along the lines of:

Remember it's business as usual - no silly ideas about pulling out of Iraq or repealing any legislation....we're watching you and if you want to stay PM....

Basically a little note to get Brown singing from the same old hymn-sheet.

Funny how 'al-Qaeda' always seem to strike at the most advantageous times:

1) the day AFTER not BEFORE the London Olympic announcement

2) The day AFTER Blair (surely a 'terrorist' hate figure) finally goes and a less US-centric PM steps up

3) The day BEFORE the Spanish elections

etc etc..

Looks like the 'terrorists' are pretty dumb really for all the fear we are told to have of them.

What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs the peace of your heart, give it up - Prophet Muhammad

In this case, I can almost guarantee that within 48 hours, Scotland Yard will have "discovered" (!) some Islamic connection, despite that fact that to pull of such an atrocity and leave no clues would be very simple, especially for anyone with (para)military skills.

Hours before London explosives technicians dismantled a large car bomb in the heart of the British capital's tourist-rich theater district, a message appeared on one of the most widely used jihadist Internet forums, saying: "Today I say: Rejoice, by Allah, London shall be bombed."

CBS News found the posting, which went on for nearly 300 words, on the "al Hesbah" chat room. It was left by a person who goes by the name abu Osama al-Hazeen, who appears regularly on the forum.

Thing is, they report about this "chat-room" on a "forum" AND DON'T SUPPLY A LINK TO SAID CHAT ROOM/FORUM.

Sometimes, terrorist attacks are exactly what they are claimed to be. But so many recent high profile ones have been beyond the bizarre in all aspects. In the knowledge that UK domestic intelligence service MI-5 has been culpable in a number of previous bombing incidents on the UK mainland should make people highly suspicious.

Thing is, they report about this "chat-room" on a "forum" AND DON'T SUPPLY A LINK TO SAID CHAT ROOM/FORUM.

Exactly so. You must have noticed this so often in the past.. expecially here in the US... where the media quotes "an Islamic website" or an internet forum linked to "al Qaeda".. etc... whenever there is a "terrorist plot", but they NEVER, EVER quote the URL!

"We've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming". VP Cheney, 3/29/2006. Interview by Tony Snow

oh my god they don't quote the url it is a scandal and how much more evidence does a citizen need

In other news, I have just discovered this GRATE site called 'google', where you can search the internets for anything on the internet. They have a box for you to fill in your 'search term', and I did this, using the name of the website given IN THE NEWS PIECE, and the site I was looking for WAS THE VERY FIRST 'HIT'!!!!!!!!!!!

oh my god they don't quote the url it is a scandal and how much more evidence does a citizen need

In other news, I have just discovered this GRATE site called 'google', where you can search the internets for anything on the internet. They have a box for you to fill in your 'search term', and I did this, using the name of the website given IN THE NEWS PIECE, and the site I was looking for WAS THE VERY FIRST 'HIT'!!!!!!!!!!!

oh my god they don't quote the url it is a scandal and how much more evidence does a citizen need

In other news, I have just discovered this GRATE site called 'google', where you can search the internets for anything on the internet. They have a box for you to fill in your 'search term', and I did this, using the name of the website given IN THE NEWS PIECE, and the site I was looking for WAS THE VERY FIRST 'HIT'!!!!!!!!!!!

The second entry in that aforementioned search... brings up the wiki link, described as a "false flag" operation, where the two "jihadists" running the site were "security officers"... or working in connection with the Saudi Arabian security services. Saudi Arabia has always enjoyed a "special relationship" with the parties engaged in this "war on terrorism" BS.

Jihad. Gee, we've been had alright.

"We've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming". VP Cheney, 3/29/2006. Interview by Tony Snow

oh my god they don't quote the url it is a scandal and how much more evidence does a citizen need

In other news, I have just discovered this GRATE site called 'google', where you can search the internets for anything on the internet. They have a box for you to fill in your 'search term', and I did this, using the name of the website given IN THE NEWS PIECE, and the site I was looking for WAS THE VERY FIRST 'HIT'!!!!!!!!!!!

You know this, we know this. But the average Pro Wrestling/NASCAR/Paris Hilton drooling, mouth-breathing drone doesn't. CBS (and other media outlets) should link to these for the sake of...well, journalism.

But they're too SCARED to do this because they're SCARED that they will be legally liable if some unsuspecting said drone or child (Think of the Children!) views it's contents and becomes another Walker Lindh...\ rant over...

British authorities were seeking three men Friday after police defused two car bombs that they said could have caused significant injury or loss of life in London.

The three men are believed to be from the Birmingham area, a center of radical Islamic unrest in Britain, U.S. officials who had been briefed on the developments told NBC News.

Police said the two cars, a light green and a light blue Mercedes-Benz, were found early Friday morning in Londons theater district. The green Mercedes was defused at the site. The blue Mercedes was not discovered to be a threat until early Friday evening, after it had been issued a parking ticket and towed to an impoundment lot near Hyde Park.

So I turn on the telly this morning and find breathless CNN anchors hyperventilating over the nuclear suicide car weapon of mass destruction discovered smoldering outside of a London nightclub. One report from the scene notes that:

London police were contacted when witnesses saw a Mercedes being driven erratically near London West End night club Tiger Tiger, and the driver jumped out of the automobile and ran away. The car was reported to have two gasoline canisters and be full of nails.

CNN adds:

Explosives officers discovered the fuel and nails attached to a "potential means of detonation," inside the vehicle. Officers "courageously" disabled the trigger by hand, he said. Security sources told CNN that the "relatively crude device" in the first car contained at least 200 liters, or about 50 gallons, of fuel in canisters.

You know what you call a vehicle with 50 gallons of gas? A Cadillac Escalade. The media meltdown over this incident is simply shameful.

For starters, gasoline is not a high explosive. If we were talking 50 pounds of Semtex or the Al Qaeda standby, TATP, I would be impressed. Those are real high explosives with a detonation rate in excess of 20,000 feet per second. Gasoline can explode (just ask former owners of a Ford Pinto) but it is first and foremost an incendiary. If the initial reports are true, the clown driving the Mercedes was a rank amateur when it comes to constructing an Improvised Explosive Device aka IED. Unlike a Hollywood flick the 50 gallons of gas would not have shredded the Mercedes into lethal chunks of flying shrapenal.

The fact that "officers courageously disabled the trigger by hand" coupled with the report of the smoke in the car leads me to believe that the mad London "bomber" tried to construct a Molotov cocktail of sorts and lit a cloth fuze. Fortunately he left the windows in the car up and there was not enough oxygen to really get the fire going. Looks like the brave British police reached in and snuffed the flame.

Judging from the overreaction to this non-incident I think we can safely conclude that Osama Bin Laden will remain holed up in Pakistan and let the fear mongers at CNN, MSNBC, and FOX do the dirty business of scaring the shit out of people.

UPDATE: Ahh, the panic continues. Yuppie terrorists are on the loose. Now we're being told there are two cars (both Mercedes I might add) with a Rube Goldberg contraption consisting of propane tanks, some petrol, a light bulb (or maybe light bulb filaments), etc. A propane tank explosion makes a hell of a noise but does not create widespread shrapnel dispersion. Busted eardrums and broken glass are more likely. Getting these tanks to explode is difficult. The ones I have witnessed occurred when a house under construction caught on fire. But there is nothing in two 25lb propane tanks inside a Mercedes that will detonate with sufficient force to shred the automobile and send hundreds to meet their Allah, God, Buddha, or whatever. Still a crock of hype and over-reaction. Let the police do their job. Investigate the culprits and get these nitwits out of circulation before they harm themselves.

Finally. Phew. Breathe.

Now, CNN, ABC, BBC, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc... and the other corporate media runts, how about reporting some real news for a change?????

%$@#@ing Weasels.

"We've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming". VP Cheney, 3/29/2006. Interview by Tony Snow

Jesus fucking christ you can't declare war on fear and then use fear as the primary means of both perpetuating it and funding it.

WE ARE AFRAID THEREFORE WE LOST ALREADY!

If we had a checklist of things that Osama bin Laden (wow, a long time since we've heard that name) would have wanted America to do post 9/11, we've hit every item on it and more. In his wildest dreams I don't think he expected to be so successful.

Our freedoms diminishing every day? Check!
Hated around the world? Check!
Wallowing in ever increasing debt? Check!
Involved in a hopeless war without a real win condition? Check!
Eight years under the tyrannical rule of the worst president in US history? Check!
Intelligent constructive criticism of policies shouted down by jeers of "Unamerican!" and "Unpatriotic!"? Check!

Thanks morons in office and uneducated sheep who keep them there. You are all tools of Al Qaeda. I hope you are fucking proud.

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” -Sagan

Thing is, they report about this "chat-room" on a "forum" AND DON'T SUPPLY A LINK TO SAID CHAT ROOM/FORUM.

I don't know the timeframe for all of this, but when I was taking the subway home last ngiht in NYC I noticed an extraordinary number of cops on the platform and immediatley thought, "terror alert", associating the high numbres with the upcoming July 4 holiday and anniversary of the "05 London bombing. This was @ 7 in NY, about midnight in London--before the discovery. Maybe they Kelly and Co heard about the post on the chat room, and reacted quickly! Or it was just a coincidence.

I'm inclined to be dubious--Britain has a long history of using trickery to advance policy goals. On the other hand the British police state has done a good job of scaring serious Islamic resistance underground, or put them in jail. It is possible the only people left confident enough to do this kind of stuff are the rank amatuers.

Jesus fucking christ you can't declare war on fear and then use fear as the primary means of both perpetuating it and funding it.

WE ARE AFRAID THEREFORE WE LOST ALREADY!

If we had a checklist of things that Osama bin Laden (wow, a long time since we've heard that name) would have wanted America to do post 9/11, we've hit every item on it and more. In his wildest dreams I don't think he expected to be so successful.

Our freedoms diminishing every day? Check!
Hated around the world? Check!
Wallowing in ever increasing debt? Check!
Involved in a hopeless war without a real win condition? Check!
Eight years under the tyrannical rule of the worst president in US history? Check!
Intelligent constructive criticism of policies shouted down by jeers of "Unamerican!" and "Unpatriotic!"? Check!

Thanks morons in office and uneducated sheep who keep them there. You are all tools of Al Qaeda. I hope you are fucking proud.

1. What freedom have you lost, personally?

2. That's overstated. Anti-Americanism is prevalent, particularly in old Europe, but we are not hated everywhere to be sure.

3. This has been true for 100 years. The deficit is actually dropping dramatically. Still, I'm all for cutting spending.

4. I see that point. I don't agree totally, but I see it.

5. "Tyrannical" and "the worst in history." Slightly extreme, I think.

6. Perhaps you'd like to link to some of that "intelligent" and "constructive" criticism.

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

That's a rather loaded question and you know it. I, personally, don't go out and protest at a Bush speech so I'm not personally penned into special "free speech" zones. I, personally, am not involved in the military so I can't personally feel the fallout resulting in Bush's intentional ignorance of the Geneva Convention. I, personally, don't use public libraries so I don't personally have my records open to government scrutiny without a warrant. I, personally, don't fly often so I personally don't deal with the unnecessary hassles of our inefficient and misguided airport security. I, personally, am not a member of congress so I personally don't miss the ability to provide a check for the executive branch.

Look, it's all been discussed to death before. You choose to simply ignore a loss of freedom because it doesn't anecdotally directly affect those few of us who post on this board.

Quote:

2. That's overstated. Anti-Americanism is prevalent, particularly in old Europe, but we are not hated everywhere to be sure.

We had the entire world behind us after 9/11. We squandered nearly all of that good will. Overstated my ass.

Quote:

3. This has been true for 100 years. The deficit is actually dropping dramatically. Still, I'm all for cutting spending.

We HAD a balanced budget before this fucking weasel took office.

Quote:

4. I see that point. I don't agree totally, but I see it.

You can't win a war on a word. Our government preys on our fears to fund a war allegedly against fear itself. Do you not see how fucking outrageous that is?

Quote:

5. "Tyrannical" and "the worst in history." Slightly extreme, I think.

Tyrannical (adj) - Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority; Having and exercising complete political power and control.

Finally congress grew a spine and said no to the president at least on one issue the other day. However, when the overriding tactic in dealing with those who disagree with the president over the last 6 years is to call said person anti-american and unpatriotic, we have a problem. When congress can't look at the discussions regarding our country's energy policy because secrecy is prized over openness, we have a problem. When the President of the United States enters us into a war under false pretenses and then denies ever making those very claims in the first place even though video clips clearly show he did, we have a motherfucking problem.

Quote:

6. Perhaps you'd like to link to some of that "intelligent" and "constructive" criticism.

Ron Paul mentioned a reason why Osama bin Laden might have orchestrated 9/11 in one of the past debates. You saw the response he got from Guiliani et al.

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” -Sagan

That's a rather loaded question and you know it. I, personally, don't go out and protest at a Bush speech so I'm not personally penned into special "free speech" zones. I, personally, am not involved in the military so I can't personally feel the fallout resulting in Bush's intentional ignorance of the Geneva Convention. I, personally, don't use public libraries so I don't personally have my records open to government scrutiny without a warrant. I, personally, don't fly often so I personally don't deal with the unnecessary hassles of our inefficient and misguided airport security. I, personally, am not a member of congress so I personally don't miss the ability to provide a check for the executive branch.

Spot on. Now, add Bloomberg and Feinstein wanting to seize records on gun buyers and gun owners, and we might have something. All that snooping and such. Loss of freedom and privacy and shit. Dig it!

Ron Paul mentioned a reason why Osama bin Laden might have orchestrated 9/11 in one of the past debates. You saw the response he got from Guiliani et al.

I saw Ted Koppel on a rerun of Latenight with Conan O'Brien last night. He said he was reading a book by Joseph Conrad that addressed the topic of terrorism, particualrly the terrorist's strategy to get the State to overreact. It must have been written nearly a century ago. Back to that old saying, history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce.

You have to womder about the process whereby the media and the government combine forces to hype up these events. I was listening to NPR this afternoon as the reports came in and it was amazing how they broadcast the news, with practically no vetting of information they were putting out. Didn't the story on one of the previous British terror plots turn out to be quite different than the initial report?. Yet, what the public will remember is the early pronoucements that this was an al Queda plot "foiled" by brave British EMTs and firefighters, even if it turns out to be something entirely different, like an attempt to collect insurance payouts on fancy cars (OK, a bit of a reach, but really, are we supposed to beleive that this botched job is the work of the same organization that coordinated all of the prior high tech terror attacks?)

What's really amazing is the way people are willing to give up their rights for the perception of safety. And that the very fear that drives this desire for safety at any cost is generated by internal forces, not the people obstensibly fighting against us (who if we are to believe the western intel agencies are effectivley on the run--at least OBL and crew is). I listened to one expert put forth by NPR prognosticate how thie was likely an example of the war in Iraq coming home. Continue the use of lkanguage like that and we'll all be lving behind 10 ft high reinfiorced concrete walls. (BTW, this is the first I've heard that car bombs in Baghdad are made by packing a vehicle with gasoline and nails and setting it on fire.)

It was simply good luck this was stopped before anyone was hurt or killed. The bastards responsible need to die by a thousand cuts.

Just like the bastards who knowingly sell faulty products (I'm thinking of the Firestone tires that were responsible for scores of deaths a few years back, and the makers of Vioxx, who supressed data the said their drug might have significant adverse impacts)?

I'm not suggesting that we string up corporate killers (well, we could put them in stocks or whatever those funky things used in the Colonila era were called), but let's keep some perspective. Companies are still making millions off the diamond wars in Africa, and will likely rake in billions developing Sudan's oilfields for Chinese interests, while ethnic cleansing on a massive scale continues in Darfur.

PS I could point out an additional irony, if I was Iraqi. Yes, thank god this was stopped before anyone was hurt or killed.

That's a rather loaded question and you know it. I, personally, don't go out and protest at a Bush speech so I'm not personally penned into special "free speech" zones. I, personally, am not involved in the military so I can't personally feel the fallout resulting in Bush's intentional ignorance of the Geneva Convention. I, personally, don't use public libraries so I don't personally have my records open to government scrutiny without a warrant. I, personally, don't fly often so I personally don't deal with the unnecessary hassles of our inefficient and misguided airport security. I, personally, am not a member of congress so I personally don't miss the ability to provide a check for the executive branch.

Look, it's all been discussed to death before. You choose to simply ignore a loss of freedom because it doesn't anecdotally directly affect those few of us who post on this board.

We had the entire world behind us after 9/11. We squandered nearly all of that good will. Overstated my ass.

We HAD a balanced budget before this fucking weasel took office.

You can't win a war on a word. Our government preys on our fears to fund a war allegedly against fear itself. Do you not see how fucking outrageous that is?

Tyrannical (adj) - Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority; Having and exercising complete political power and control.

Finally congress grew a spine and said no to the president at least on one issue the other day. However, when the overriding tactic in dealing with those who disagree with the president over the last 6 years is to call said person anti-american and unpatriotic, we have a problem. When congress can't look at the discussions regarding our country's energy policy because secrecy is prized over openness, we have a problem. When the President of the United States enters us into a war under false pretenses and then denies ever making those very claims in the first place even though video clips clearly show he did, we have a motherfucking problem.

Ron Paul mentioned a reason why Osama bin Laden might have orchestrated 9/11 in one of the past debates. You saw the response he got from Guiliani et al.

Needed repeating because, as usual all we get from SDW is crickets from West Chester...